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Wednesday, July 5, 2017

Rune Post #21: Mannaz

Happy Wednesday! Today's focus will be on Mannaz, the twentieth rune of the Elder Futhark, and fourth rune in the third aett.

Mannaz translates to "mankind," and connects to themes of broad community, the experience of humanity, contemplation, the soul, the self in the context of the "many."

An Icelandic rune poem reads:

Man is delight of man

and augmentation of the earth

and adorner of ships.

Power of the Runes deck - Voenix

This rune poem reminds me of stanza 47 of the Havamal:

I was young once,

I walked alone,

and I became lost on my way.

I felt like I was rich when I met another traveler -

people's joy is in other people.*

I have found Mannaz to be a bit elusive, though it has come up most often for me during times of my own contemplation of the human condition (racism/prejudice, the political climate, my own values and how they relate to others, etc.).

Questions:1) What other meanings do you attribute to Mannaz?2) How do you utilize this rune in your practice?3) If Mannaz has presented itself in your rune work or castings, how have you seen its energy manifested, or experienced its impact?
*Jackson Crawford translation

2 comments:

Oh, I love that Havamal rune poem! That defines far better how I see Mannaz - the coming together of different people. Meeting with an other allows us to see things from a different perspective, which connects to what you say about contemplating the human condition. For me, this is both about how we view the social world around us, and also ourselves. We are always who we are in relation to those around us. You are a different person as Olivia mother than you are as Olivia colleague or Olivia wife :)